Linguistics Colloquia
Revisiting the critical period: Contributions of auditory neuroplasticity to the adult acquisition and cross-linguistic diversity of speech sounds While humans are excellent learners, adult speakers often struggle to perceive and acquire the sounds of a new language. The processing of speech sounds is mediated and modulated by multiple regions in the brain, and as we learn more about these regions, it is becoming possible to find new ways of improving the acquisition of non-native speech categories in adults. In this presentation, I will examine how our native language influences the neural processing of speech sounds and discuss two potential ways to enhance auditory neuroplasticity in non-native speech learners: auditory training and non-invasive brain stimulation. Additionally, I will explore how our brain's ability to adapt to different auditory landscapes can help us explain the diversity of sound patterns found in different languages around the world.
